Beneath the Underneath: Pale Ambitions
by Sky Zone
Summary: [SasukeXHianta] Hinata was never the shy, timid, girl she led the others to believe. No, she was a prodigy, one that wasn't afraid to give others a piece of her mind. Unfortunatly for her, this attracts Sasuke, someone Hinata didn't really want to attract
1. Chapter 1

**Beneath the Underneath: Pale Ambitions**

"**Aojiroi Shabaki"**

**Chapter One: Secret**

**- Zoney -**

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X 

Hinata is currently 17, almost 18. Team 7 is all 18.

Hinata brushed the sweat away with an air of perfect Hyuuga indifference. But in reality, she was far from being indifferent. In the village of Konoha, she was known to be the kindest and the shyest of all the ninjas. But that still wasn't her true form.

Hinata was a prodigy, one that didn't have the stupidness to show it.

Unlike her usual fickle, indecisive nature in front of her teammates, her mind was unusually calm and sharp. She knew her opinions, and she knew what her beliefs were. Simply put, her beliefs didn't match those of the Hyuuga family. Hiashi, her father, was a practical man. He wasn't particularly caring or supportive of his clan- he was merely proud. And Hinata knew what all proud men of the Hyuuga clan wanted.

More power. More influence in Konoha. All the elders seemed to look at the younger generation as something to use to their advantage. A way to get what they wanted.

Hinata had already decided that she didn't want to be part of the Hyuuga power struggle. Even though she was the legal heiress to the Hyuuga title, she managed to give that title to Hanabi, the younger sister who relished in 'defeating' Hinata and basking in the pride of Hiashi's praises. It would be the perfect part for Hanabi.

Hinata knew that she was perfectly capable of defeating Hanabi easily. But that would draw her in as a perfect candidate to stay as the legal heiress, and Hinata wanted none of that.

A life that was spent dutifully doting upon the elders and marrying unwilling for some convenient deal repulsed Hinata. She was determined in her own way to get out of it. And she was smart enough to do it. Without letting a word of her plan slip her lips, she began her plan at a young age. She purposely withdrew her chakra and abilities from battles to keep a low profile, she also adopted a shy and timid state. But secretly, she trained; knowing one day it would be wise to know how to defend herself. Nearly everyone had been fooled by it. She would have to keep it up until she reached 18, a single year from how, the age that she could leave the Hyuugas if she wished. Since she was not the heir to their clan, she doubted that they would pose a resistance to her request at all. They would probably feel eased that she had decided to cut her ties with the Hyuuga.

Hinata brushed some more sweat from her defined features. Even though she was barely ruffled from the family spar with Hanabi, she was still tired from the tremendous effort of keeping down her increasing powerful chakra. However, in the long run, all this only proved to strengthen her control, and add to her chakra reserves.

With Byakugan, she effortlessly noticed Hiashi frown at her loss and smile at the ecstatic Hanabi, who was cheering at her 34th win against Hinata. Hinata's mental fire blazed at this, angrily wrapping around this knowledge. Hanabi's skills were no better than the average Hyuuga's. Hiashi's praises and Hanabi's conceited nature made her attacks far too confident: striking for wide, offensive hits and leaving absolutely no defense. Hinata counted exactly 11 times that she could have ended Hanabi's life with a well-placed Juuken.

She allowed Hanabi to at best tap her arms and legs, but never a vital. For all of Hiashi's supposed genius, he was pretty dense to crow over Hanabi's 'victory' when Hinata sported no more than two mild bruises that would fade before the day was done.

"I won Father, I won!" she cried excitedly. "This means that I'm the rightful heiress, right Father?"

He smiled down at her. "Of course, you were going to be the heir even if she managed to land a hit on you." He lifted his eyes to Hinata while Hanabi giggled quietly. "Hinata. I'm disappointed in you. You're a disgrace to the Hyuuga Clan."

Hinata mentally shrugged. He didn't really say anything she didn't already know. But she kept up her façade. "I-I'm sorry," she murmured, bowing her head in a shameful manner, "I'll try harder next time."

Hiashi nodded, having accepted her newest apology. "I would expect so." He replied coldly. "Come, Hanabi." With a regal swish of his white robes, he slandered off, Hanabi walking in his wake, already learning how to strut like an arrogant Hyuuga would.

Hinata waited for them to completely leave her Byakugan range of vision. Then slowly, she allowed all her tremendous chakra energy to flow normally again. She sighed in relief, finally allowing herself a break from the exhausting task of suppressing chakra for the majority of the day.

She then brought her fingers to Naruto's signature position: 4 fingers, 2 for each hand, crossed. "Kage Bunshin…" she muttered slowly. An exact clone poof-ed into existence next to her. They were exactly alike, down to the last hair, thanks to Hinata's excellent chakra control. Since Kage Bunshin divides the chakra evenly, her clone still had a little too much to be believable by the household. Making her clone do a complex jutsu, the chakra level ebbed down to the right amount. Satisfied, Hinata sent her clone on ahead to stay in the Hyuuga Mansion. She herself would spend a night in the forest. It was too hard to keep her chakra under control while asleep.

She settled comfortably against the branches of an ancient tree. Just a year more… just one more year, and she could take off, reveal herself as who she truly was, and bask in the freedom she knew the branch members of her clan couldn't hope to receive. She felt extremely sorry for Neji, her prestigious elder cousin. He might have had a chance to escape as well, but he lacked tact to lay low. He was too prideful as well, and not afraid to show his prowess. Unfortunately, that was his downfall.

She clenched her hand into a fist. She would bear through the final year. She had too.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X 

She awoke the next morning from the fact that her clone was prodding her with a 6-foot long stick. She giggled at her clone's silliness, and rose gracefully to her feet, brushing leaves from her jacket. The clone grinned, and poofed off.

Hinata smiled widely at the day, and stretched eagerly. Feeling refreshed, she decided that she would go meet up with the rest of her friends to do a couple missions. She was currently a Chuunin. Normally, she would have stayed a Genin to stay undetected, but she couldn't bear the fact that her friends were going to move on without her. It still sent giggles through her when she recalled Hiashi's recoiling face. The fool had been so shocked. Even though her abilities were most possibly the level of an advanced ANBU, she liked her ninja status: it was a nice, simple life. But that was going to change the minute she was free from the clutches of the Hyuugas.

She entered the Hokage's Office swiftly, closing the door with a small tick. Tsunade smiled warmly at her before immersing herself into her calculations.

"Hinata, I know I shouldn't burden you with this, but do you mind doing a B mission with Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura? They're supposed to do a scouting mission near Suna. Its strange, since there's an abnormal amount of traps laid there. They'll need someone with an experienced Byakugan to avoid the traps. I would ask Neji, but he's off on an ANBU mission."

Hinata blushed prettily at the mention of Naruto. "O-Of course, Tsunade-sama." She stammered. Her mental consciousness rolled its eyes at her façade, bothered with her timid actions.

"Its set." Said Tsunade with an air of smugness. "They'll be here soo-"

With a large, resolute, bang, the door burst open, heralding the sight of a figure dressed in orange. "You! Granny Tsunade! When can you stop giving those puny B-ranked missions? We're all ready for an 'A'!"

Hinata blushed again, mentally cursing her red face. She liked Naruto as a friend, she was sure, but whenever he was around, she somehow managed to be red as a tomato.

"Naruto…" said Tsunade in a dangerously low voice. "You will refrain from questioning my judgment-"

"Yeah, yeah," he said with a yawn. The rest of his team soon appeared behind him, the members from the original team 7, Sakura and Sasuke, who had returned from the clutches of Orochimaru in one piece.

"Hello, Hinata!" the rosette said, waving. "Did Tsunade-sama tell you about the mission yet?"

Hinata shook her head. "No, Sakura-san, all she said was that it was a scouting mission."

Tsunade nodded in conformation, popping a dango insatiably into her mouth. "Its simple, you'll just need to look for signs of war approaching in the Land of Water. They seemed restless recently, and we recently received information that they're starting to train their ninjas." she put down a dango, folded her arms and gave them a square look. "However, they've set numerous traps around their boarder, and it seems like they don't want anyone prying into their land. It just adds to the effect that they're preparing for war. However, we need to be sure of the fact. It would be humiliating if we were so worried over a false alarm."

The scouting team nodded, each reflecting on how they planned to approach.

"Dismissed," Tsunade said, resuming her consumption of eating her dangos. "Return alive, you're more useful that way."

Grumbling, Naruto folded his arms at Tsunade's last statement. "The old hag…" he muttered under his breath. Unfortunately for him, Tsunade heard. Eye twitching, she flung her plate of dango at him.

"Scram!"

Shocked at her violent display of anger, Hinata gulped and fled out the door along with the rest of the group, each sprayed with dango sauce.

Once in the safe confines of the outdoors, Sakura grimaced at her ruined red outfit. "Let's change before we go," she said, grumbling all the while.

Hinata rolled her eyes. "Ano… I'll wait for you at the gate." She said, trying her best to act timid. She decided that she didn't need to stutter anymore, since her years of acting shy should have left a fixed impression on them.

"But Hinata-chan, aren't you-" Sakura's eyes widened. Tsunade's well-placed throw didn't spill a single drop of sauce on the shy ninja's head.

Hinata smiled gently at her. "Tsunade-sama missed," she said, innocent as ever. In reality, she used a tiny amount of well-used chakra to deflect the little spurts of sauce. It was a reflexive reaction.

"Whoa!" said Naruto, staring hard at her, "Hinata-chan, you're not wet at all!"

Hinata bowed her head, "Well, I was standing a bit far away…"

"She used chakra to deflect every single drop that headed toward her, couldn't you notice, dobe?"

Hinata swallowed. 'Stupid Uchiha!' her mental voice said, enraged. "No, how could I have done that?" she asked, trying hard to look confused. "It would take Sakura's chakra control to deflect such tiny and numerous droplets."

Sasuke looked at her strangely, before lapsing into silence. Much to Hinata's chagrin, he didn't have a speck of dark sauce on him either. So why did everyone ask her?

"Whatever," she said uncharacteristically. Hinata never said whatever, "Can we please hurry and start on the mission?" She tried to keep the annoyance out of her voice. But honestly, why were they getting so worked up about a little bit of sauce? Well, that's Sakura for you.

Naruto and Sakura left, promising to be back as soon as possible, but knowing Sakura, she would spend at least half and hour deciding what her 'Sasuke-kun' would like. And knowing Sasuke, her efforts were going to be in failure. Hinata felt kinda sorry for the rosette girl, to have the center of her attentions push her away.

She couldn't resist a glare at Sasuke, who looked fairly amused. "Let's go." She said curtly, abandoning her demure demeanor for those two words. She could of sworn she heard him chuckle. But that couldn't be right. Uchihas don't _chuckle._

They arrived at the gate in silence. Hinata dropped her travel pack next to her as she sat down, leaned against the post, and closed her eyes, taking in all the sounds and smells of her village. Sasuke leaned against the opposite post, hands plunged in pockets and deep in thought, no doubt trying to figure out how to tackle the mission.

Hinata wondered at a stray thought that entered her mind. Why did Tsunade make up this group? Sure, it was the original team 7 and herself, but technically, they were different ranks now. Naruto a Jonin, Sasuke an ANBU captain, Sakura a Medic-nin, and herself a Chuunin. To be frank, it was a strange combo. All in all, it seemed that Tsunade suspected trouble, to have such a wide variety of ninjas present. Hinata's brow furrowed. Most possibly, what she was supposed to do right now, was an A rank. She suspected that

Tsunade marked it a B to prevent her, the Chuunin, from being too afraid to do anything outside of the C missions Chuunins generally do. Looks like she made her false impression too well.

She was cut out of her thoughts when Sasuke spoke. "Hyuuga. What happened back there? You straight out lied to them."

Hinata squirmed uneasily. Curse his abilities. She wondered how to answer. "Oh… that? I thought that it would raise unnecessary questions if I told them I used chakra to block the sauce." She said half-truthfully as she made a point of glaring at his figure. He was annoying.

Hinata wondered what the other girls saw in him. He was as cold as an ice cube, and didn't really seem to care about how other people felt. Oh, sure, he looked good, but what kind of a quality was that? Oh he was smart too, but socially, he was as dense as fog… or so Hinata thought. She didn't really know Sasuke well. She preferred Naruto's big-heartedness, and fine qualities.

He raised his brow. "Unnecessary questions, Hyuuga? Explain."

Hinata stood up. And glared. A full, angry, annoyed glare. "I really don't think I need to explain anything, Uchiha. You need to change that attitude. Just because _you_ ask, it doesn't mean everyone will turn into an open book, just waiting for you to read them."

He smirked. "And whatever happened to your stutter?"

"O-Oh, my s-s-s-stutter? Why, I never lost my s-stutter!" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Did you really think that I'd stutter all my life?"

He chuckled. "As a matter of fact, I think I did."

Hinata treated it as an insult, but quickly calmed herself, mentally berating herself for letting lose her true self and forgetting that she _wanted_ people to think that she was a weak and timid girl.

"U-Uh, s-sorry, Uchiha-san," she said, trying to revert herself back into her timid self, "I don't know what came over me." She bowed her head.

She suddenly picked up her lavender travel pack before Sasuke could say anything. "U-Uchiha-san, They're here. We s-should leave now."

He 'hn'ed, and glanced over his shoulder to confirm. Yep. Sakura and Naruto fell into step next to Sasuke and Hinata. Sakura shot Hinata a look, clearly asking if anything happened between her and Sasuke. Hinata just shrugged, and pressed foreword. As she expected, Sakura tried subtly to make herself look better. Only the dense Sasuke wouldn't notice that she was desperately trying to get his attention. She groaned, the sooner she could finish this confounded mission, the sooner she could get back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Beneath the Underneath: Pale Ambitions**

"**Aojiroi Shabaki"**

**Chapter two: Excursion **

**- Zoney -**

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X 

They traveled throughout the day, only pausing to take minute breaks to refresh their water canteens with the plentiful streams that criss-crossed the rolling landscape of the Fire Country. Other times, they took breaks to train, each of them all intent on staying up to standard.

It was in one of these mini training cessions, that Hinata was busy pounding a tree. Ignoring everything around her, she decided to step up her training. She focused sharp chakra ends into her knuckles, as she hit the tree squarely once. She leapt back quickly as she sent her chakra into the branches and roots of the tree. Once her chakra was in position, the tree exploded, showering splinters and bark everywhere. If that move had been used on a person… more than just splinters would be falling.

Naruto rushed over. "Hinata-chan! What was that?" he asked, eyes wide.

She blushed. "O-Oh nothing, its just that I-I was practicing the D-delayed Juuken. The tree acted a l-little d-differently than I thought."

Naruto had this adorable confused expression on. "Delayed Juuken?"

Hinata nodded. "Its simple, really. Normal Juuken uses chakra to harm the inner coils system and organs of the target. But with Delayed Juuken, the chakra spreads out over a greater surface area before it starts harming."

Naruto nodded, seemingly relieved that she didn't try anything stupid and scientifically impossible. "Alright, Hinata-chan. Be careful next time."

"A-A**rigatou, Naruto-kun." She said while red sought to overtake her facial complexion. **

**A snort was heard from Sasuke, "You dobe, she was never in any danger to begin with. She was a respectable distance from the tree when it exploded."**

**Naruto just scoffed back him before turning around and giving Hinata a goofy grin. As the normal Hinata would, she blushed while her sub consciousness groaned at the recurrent action. She didn't like him like that. She just found him unexplainably cute and adorable. And plus… she needed to have a supposed love interest before someone assumed something twisted. She just needed to find the right person. **

**"We leave in 5 minutes." Instructed Sasuke who had taken the position of leader thanks to his higher rank. Naruto groaned, and even Sakura sighed. This was going to be a long day. **

**By the time they reached the Land of Water, they were all travel-weary and irritated from all the dust. They set up camp just outside the boarder. Hinata sighed contentedly as she warmed her hands near the fire that Sasuke had so kindly lit. She always loved camping and spending time outside. Well… that was mostly thanks to the fact that she spent most of her nights out of the Hyuuga compound. During that time, she had begun to have a great respect for nature and its unpredictability. Most importantly, she learned how to use Nature to her advantage while in a battle. **

**"Ano…" she said, feigning uneasiness, "I'll be looking for h-herbs and medicines that I've heard t-that are good here…I'll be back soon." **

**Getting a quick nod from Sasuke, she quickly left, planning happily how to use the night. Activating Byakugan, she threaded easily into the wildness forest that acted as a natural boarder between the Land of Water and the Land of Fire. She bent down to observe a plant that curled gently around her finger when she cautiously touched it. She smiled. So the rumors she heard were true. The forest was notorious for its wide variety of plants. She quickly plucked a couple leaves from the plant, unwilling to take the whole thing. Taking a clear plastic bag from her pack, she sealed the leaves. **

**She pressed further on, hoping to get out of range from Sasuke's chakra-tracking Sharingan. That man could be annoying when he wanted to, and she wanted to train a while without being interrupted. She slipped further into the underbrush, keeping careful track of time, and also a keen awareness of any traps that might have been set. There was one, about a mile away from her. **

**Curiosity won over, and she darted toward it. It was a simple, yet deadly trap. 3 explosive tags were placed in a perfect triangle around a clearing. When a person walked into that triangle, the tags will activate, and thoroughly destroy any remains of the intruder. Hinata shivered slightly, knowing that the Rain village was serious. She was just about to leave and begin her self-training when a special flash of green was found in the corner of her eye. It was a plant, looking completely insignificant, yet Hinata knew what it was. **

**"Oh…Kami." She said, wide eyed. It was a plant that could ward off genjutsus for a whole hour. A whole ****_hour_****. It was tempting to just stroll into the clearing and snatch the plant. **But being the prodigy she was, Hinata knew that it was simply not done. Upon closer inspection, she realized that the plant wasn't inside the triangle, per say. It was just outside of it. Happily, Hinata skirted the invisible triange, feeling exceptionally gleeful. Her hands closed around the plant, and _pulled_. In the corner of her eye, she saw a carefully placed stone roll easily away from the plant and with mocking slowness crawled into the triangle. Hinata wasn't one to cuss, but she did now.

The tags on the trees shimmered and exploded.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Sasuke awoke with a start. An explosion. His sleepy mind grasped the concept groggily.

Explosion… Oh kami! He leapt out of his sleeping bag. 'Damn.' He muttered as he swept the camp with his Sharingan. Where's the Hyuuga? Naruto had already struggled out of his sleeping bag. He was fully awake with a hand over his eyes, studying the flare of a mushroom shaped cloud- the explosive source. Sasuke joined him, letting Sakura continue her slumber.

"Dobe." Sasuke growled, "Where's the Hyuuga?"

"I don't know." Muttered Naruto worriedly, wincing at Sasuke's piecing gaze, "But didn't Hinata-chan say that she was out gathering some plants?"

"What? She's still not back? She left ages ago!" Sasuke growled. He unwilling activated Sharingan again, and scanned the surrounding forest carefully for signs of the pathetic Hyuuga's chakra. Honestly, the heir to the prestigious Hyuugas was better off not being a ninja; her skills were so weak- she was still a chuunin at the age of 17. Even though… Sasuke had been pleasantly surprised with she showed a flare of defiance toward him of all people. Hn. There was more to her than reaches the eye.

"Dobe, stay here with Sakura, I'll go see where the Hyuuga went." His Sharingan results came up negative. Either she had suppressed all her chakra-, which Sasuke highly doubted, or she was too far out of range. Damn her for being so difficult! Why'd she wander so far? Hn… she probably got lost, even with her Byakugan. Sasuke didn't rule out the possibility of foul play. He headed toward the mushroom shaped cloud, having no other leads.

Hinata winced slightly a couple meters away as the tags exploded, cursing softly at herself for her carelessness all the while. She stored the plant safely into her bag, preparing to leave. But feeling the presence of four fast approaching ninja, Hinata activated Byakugan, suppressed her chakra, and darted onto a high branch.

Four rain Jounins landed agilely in the clearing, all dressed identically in what Hinata assumed was the Rain uniform. One of them began laughing, much to Hianta's vexation.

"Che, it never gets old, does it? They just keep coming and coming, those idiots." The other two agreed, but the last one was squinting intently at the spot that she had been standing at only a few precarious seconds ago. Hinata watched warily with Byakugan as the ninja looked side-to-side, confusion etched into his face. She wondered what he thought. He seemed to dismiss whatever he was thinking, and starting to replace the tags on a couple fresh trees. The others just kept laughing at her dramatic 'demise'.

"What a foolish ninja!" one howled.

Hinata bristled at that, but stayed where she was, resentment building in her. "Come on." The one replacing the tags said, "Gozo said there're were some leaf nins just north of here."

"So we're to dispose of them, eh?" one asked, eyes shining eagerly.

"Yes." He said calmly, "Gozo's been watching them all day with that crow of his. Two females, two males. All supposed weaklings." In her safe perch behind a branch, Hinata decided that she had had enough. She was more than confident that she could soundly defeat the Jounin. She dropped from the branch, and let go of all the restrictions that had kept a tight rein of her chakra.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Sasuke felt Hinata's chakra blaze ahead of him. His eyes widened, then crinkled in silent amusement. He had no idea that the little Hyuuga had so much chakra, it nearly rivaled his own, an ANBU's. Hearing voices up ahead, he speed up, intrigued. He saw Hinata standing in the middle of the clearing, arms folded, and clearly angry, wait, no, she was obviously pissed off. Her chakra, suffocating to most at this range was waved off easily by Sasuke. Sasuke was rightfully awed, but mostly surprised. She looked completely confident, not anything like the timid girl that had blushed crazily whenever Naruto spoke. The rain Jounin, looked pretty shocked as well.

The one to the right of Hinata snapped back into reality, and scrambled for a weapon. The others followed suit. "You must be the Hyuuga Chuunin Gozo told me about." He sneered, eyes glinting strangely, "Said you were shy, and would barely put up a fight-"

He was cut off when a smooth, fluid retort from Hinata, whom Sasuke was still gawping at in disbelief. Little Chuunin Hyuuga against four Jounin? It was suicide! Sasuke decided whether or not to intervene. He soon decided against it, after all, he was curious to see how Hinata would react. "Your friend's data is sorely mistaken." Hinata said calmly, "Allow me to demonstrate the real me."

With speed so fast his Sharingan had trouble following it, the chakra sting that Hinata sent out wrapped fatally around one ninja's wrist. With a savage tug, Hinata sent the man literally flying toward her. Leaning her arm back in preparation, she slugged him flat in the ribs with her Juuken, the 'gentle' fist. Sasuke was fairly perplexed, amazed, and most of all, angry. The Hyuuga was hiding all this? No one was supposed to be able to deceive a Sharingan user! The man flew back, smashed into a tree, and immediately fell unconscious. The 3 remaining Jounin were clearly startled, alarm flashing across their faces. Hinata smirked.

"Some Jounin, getting beat up so easily by a _chuunin_ like that." The mocking was clear in her tone. The three men lunged at her, forgetting all their training in their moment of red anger. Her form flickered, and she reappeared behind them, delivering a bone-splitting roundhouse kick. If the ninja was surprised at all at having a boot in his face, he didn't show it.

'Or maybe,' Sasuke mused, 'he was already unconscious.' The thought brought a sly smile to his face. Hinata was proving herself as more than a decent ninja. She managed to successfully tamper with the opponent's mind, something that Sasuke had been working on with his Sharingan. It was extremely useful to avoid unwanted battles with a single glare from his bloodline limit.

"Suiton: Daibakufu no jutsu! (Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique.)" The smarter of the two remaining ones yelled. A tower of water faintly resembling a rushing waterfall flew at her. Hinata didn't move as she carefully watched the torrent rush at her. Sasuke was seriously deciding to jump in when Hinata suddenly burst into action. She thrust her hand toward the middle of the Jutsu. The water cleaved and split into two distinctive streams, both rebounding from her hand and shooting harmlessly to the side. Hinata didn't even bulge an inch from all the weight being exerted on her hand.

"Weak." She commented, reflecting the Jutsu. "I would advise against war if I were you- just think about it. One Konoha Chuunin could easily defeat 4 high ranked rain Jounin, I don't think you want to know what our ANBU can do." The remaining Jounin flinched. "So, gather up those two that I conked in the noggin and report to your Mizukage: War is futile against the Leaf." She said winningly. Sasuke had to admit that she was pretty good at negotiating aggressively.

"There's no way a Leaf Chuunin is that strong." One said, holding his ground, "You've got to be ANBU or something."

"Oh, its pretty darn possible." Hinata said, looking irritated. "The Rain Village has pretty low standards nowadays, don't they? So be cooperative and send my message to the Mizukage." Turning ever so royally on her heel, she marched out of the clearing, leaving two dumbfounded Jounin and a doubting-his-eyes Sasuke. As she left, Sasuke saw the look of satisfaction and regret running one after another on her gentle features.

Hinata felt certain that the Mizukage would change his idea about war. She had tried her best to make the Jounin terrified. And yet… she felt sorry for them. No doubt they'll be called a disgrace once they reach their village. 4 Jounin losing against one Chuunin was pretty daunting to think about, not to mention shameful. Hinata knew from experience.

But… what if the Mizukage declared war to try and reclaim his lost pride? That would be beyond troublesome. Hinata stopped her train of thought right there. It was late, and she was too tired to think.

She easily covered the distance between her and her sleeping bag, fell into slumber immediately, and didn't notice the pair of red eyes assessing her.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The next morning found Hinata in a cheerful mood. She had woken up before any one else did. She was used to having 6 hours of sleep, and last night's excursion was nothing strenuous. She folded her sleeping bag, packed her belongings neatly and starting tending to the fire, preparing breakfast with a coupe herbs she had found earlier.

Sasuke's nose twitched. An alluring aroma drifted teasing in and out of his sniffing range. A second later, he was dimly aware of Naruto sleepwalking out of his sleeping bag. He got up in time to see Naruto drooling with his eyes closed, his arms reached out like a zombie. "You Dope." Sasuke called, effectively snapping Naruto out of his daze.

"Say that to my face, you limp noodle!" shrieked Naruto, shouting the first curses that came to his sleepy mind. Sasuke raised his eyebrow.

"Limp noodle?" He asked, and against his will a slight smile was building up. "What the hell is that?"

"I believe, Uchiha-san, that Naruto-kun meant to insult you." The Hyuuga's voice floated over sweetly.

Sasuke glanced over, noticing Hinata busy sprinkling a couple crushed herbs onto the pot of stew that had magically appeared hanging on a stick over the fire. "Hn." He snorted, unable to think of any immediate comebacks. The sly smile crept over his face as he recalled last night's little skirmish. He studied the Hyuuga. Her façade was completely on: restless fingers, bowed head, and jerky movements. He found it nigh impossible to envision her in the fluid heat of battle as he had seen yesterday.

He took extra notice of her. She no longer wore the bulky cream-colored jacket from her old days. She wore a modest, fitting blue shirt with a slight, white jacket that matched her light-hued lavender eyes stunningly. She wore dark blue pants that gave her a decidedly long-legged elegant appearance.

He packed his bag as well, just in time to hear Hinata call for breakfast.

Hinata sprinkled the genjutsu herb into the stew, thinking it would be better to use it. She stirred happily. Cooking has always been one of her favorite things to do. She kept a close eye over the camp as the others hurriedly dressed and packed.

"Breakfast's ready." She called, as she poured the golden colored soup into individual bowls.

"Itadakimasu!"

"Wow, Hinata-chan! This is awesome!" gushed Sakura as she slurped down the hot soup, "What'd you put in it?"

Hinata just smiled mysteriously, "Oh, just a couple herbs I found the other day,"

Naruto perked up at the mention. "Oh yeah! Hinata-chan! When'd you get back yesterday? It was late, and you weren't back yet, so Sasuke even went to look for you! Did you hear the explosion?"

Hinata gulped. 'Sasuke? I didn't sense him at all… Did he see me?' Fear overwhelmed Hinata for a second, before she calmed down. 'Of course not, he couldn't have seen me. I was well out of range of his sharingan… right?'

"W-well, ummm…" Started Hinata cautiously, "I-I suppose I got back pretty late…" She quickly immersed her face in her bowl to hide her distraught.

Sasuke eyed her carefully. Why didn't she want anyone to know about her excursion, or her abilities for the matter? Sasuke was sure that if Hinata wanted to, she could've become an ANBU. It just kept on getting stranger and stranger.

The traveled on, trudging quickly over the terrain.

"So, Sasuke-kun, what are you doing after the mission?" Sakura asked in a cozy voice.

"Another mission, preferably with another ANBU, I don't want to be stuck with anyone lower." He grunted, immediately dashing all her dreams with one sentence.

Hinata was silent as Team 7 talked. She now felt strangely out of place with them. Who was she, to intrude upon their team? Finally, the feeling became unbearable.

"Ano, I'll go scout a bit up ahead," Hinata said, "I think I hear something."

"I'll go with you," Sasuke said quickly, "I'm not staying with the dobe any longer than I have to."

"No, No, its fine, really!" said Hianta quickly. She was beginning to think that he really did see her. If her father found out, her place as the Hyuuga heir was guaranteed.

"No really, and I need to stretch my legs anyway." An evil smirk toward Hinata showed her that he was absolutely not going to back down.

Sakura, however, had other ideas.

"Sasuke!" she pouted, "Stay with me, please? What's the use, getting all gritty and dirty traveling useless miles?"

"Y-Yeah, Uchiha-san, I just want to check it out, I'll be back soo-"

"Shut up all of you and get going, Hyuuga." He said flatly.

Hinata burned with resentment at having told to shut up. She really, really wanted to slap him. "Fine." She said curtly. "Just don't get left behind," she muttered so lowly that only Sasuke could hear.

Hinata could practically feel Sasuke smirk. "You're on." He said in the same discreet manner.

Hinata was beginning to regret it. Sasuke's pace was dauntingly fast. He didn't pause a second before he was off, springing over the trees like a retarded pogo stick. Hinata giggled at the mental image it brought. They continued to travel ahead. Hinata knew it wouldn't be long before the question came.

"Hyuuga." The dark voice came. Hinata was brushed out of her thoughts as she realized that the damn Uchiha had stopped abruptly.

There was only time for a look of horror to cross Hinata's pale face. 'Aw… crap.'

Hinata tumbled into Sasuke. Sasuke was brutally knocked out of the branch and a whirl of leaves and limbs, they landed heavily on the sun-baked ground.

The situation that Hinata found herself in was not very promising. In the sprawl of arms and legs, Sasuke was evidently on top, and Hinata's face was pressed in the ground.

How… quaint. It reminded Hinata of those cheesy romance books: when the main characters fell with a flourish and landed gracefully, and then came close to kissing. Well, the only thing Hinata was kissing was the ground. Not that kissing Sasuke was any better. Actually, she preferred the ground.

"Get off…" Hinata growled. With inhuman strength, she flung Sasuke off and stood up angrily. "Next time," she said, pointing an accusing finger at an amused Sasuke, "Don't stop like that when you're going so fast. Got it, limp noodle?"

Sasuke brushed himself off casually. "Hyuuga, I did give you a warning. Did you not hear me say 'Hyuuga'?"

"B-but, Y-you … Argh!" said Hinata. Just for extra effect, she stomped her foot. It was childish, to say the least, and the smirk on Sasuke's face was not the desired effect. Hinata took a deep breath.

"I-I'm sorry, Uchiha-san… I-I should've looked w-where I w-was g-going." She stuttered. She doubted that her ploy would work now, but hey, can't blame a girl for trying.

To her surprise, Sasuke burst out laughing. "You must take me for a fool." He said, shaking his head, "After all this, do you honestly think I wouldn't notice? Oh, that's rich!" he continued laughing.

"Alright here, you limp noodle," Hinata said switching back to herself in record time, "Now that you know, you breath a word of this and you are _dead_, understand?"

He snorted. "Look here Hyuuga. I don't get you. Why on earth would you purposely try to look weak? Wouldn't it only benefit you if you were known as a stronger ninja?"

Hinata put her hands on her hips. "I'm not like you, Uchiha. I don't flaunt my power like some proud kid with a new toy. I prefer to stay low key, have a low rank. It'll save me in the long run-" Her eyes widened. She had nearly told him! What had gotten into her? Years of keeping it secret had been crashed when she went on this stupid mission with the Uchiha. She had only spent a couple days in his company, and he had pissed her off so much that she had revealed herself twice! Not to mention that he might have seen her with the rain Jounin. Every thing she had worked for was screwed! Unless… Uchiha didn't tell Tsunade? Hinata calmed herself, again.

"Low key? Save you in the long run?" His eyes narrowed. "So there's a specific reason you're like this. A someone I think."

Hinata flinched. Damn his insightfulness! "Just shut up about this and pretend it never happened. Hyuuga Hinata has always been shy and demure."

"No." he said simply.

Hinata gwapped at him. "No?" she said, "_No_? Do you know how snobby you sound? Why do you even bother with figuring this all out?" She was still refraining herself from striding over to that arrogant face and slapping it till it was green.

"Because," he said, eyes twinkling mischievously, "This is the most fun I've had in ages, and plus," this time he stopped to give her a glare. "You fooled my Sharingan for more than a decade. There's no way I won't be interesting in a…" he gave her a questioning look, "Potential rival."

Hinata just stared at him. All this stupid trouble was because he saw her as a potential rival? "You do realize how stupid you sound. A respected ANBU member such as yourself, sees threat in a chuunin. Besides, just because my personality is different doesn't mean that my skill is also different."

At this, Sasuke gave her a sly grin. "Are you sure?" he asked slyly. "You seem to be able to defeat 4 Jounin effortlessly, and made a bargain in the process."

OH SNAP.

He knew. This was just perfect. Hinata resisted an urge to bang her head. Stupid, stupid, stupid Uchiha!

Hinata sighed. "Well, I suppose I can't do anything now." Her shoulders slumped. "Just keep this quiet, all right? There's a reason I'm doing this."

Sasuke studied her for a minute, then shrugged.

"We'll see." He said mysteriously. "We'll see about that."


End file.
